Microsoft names IIT Madras alum as new Windows & Devices Chief

Microsoft Corporation has announced a significant change in its organisational structure, appointing Pavan Davuluri as the new head of its Windows and Surface hardware division. The move comes just months after the company split the Windows and Surface teams following the departure of Panos Panay, Microsoft's former chief product officer.

According to an internal memo by Rajesh Jha, Microsoft's head of experiences and devices, Davuluri will oversee both the Windows Experiences and Windows + Devices teams as part of the Experiences + Devices (E+D) division. This change aims to facilitate a holistic approach to building silicon, systems, experiences, and devices that span Windows client and cloud for the AI era.

Jha stated, "As part of this change, we are bringing together the Windows Experiences and Windows + Devices teams as a core part of the Experiences + Devices (E+D) division. This will enable us to take a holistic approach to building silicon, systems, experiences, and devices that span Windows client and cloud for this AI era. Pavan Davuluri will lead this team and continue to report to me. Shilpa Ranganathan and Jeff Johnson and their teams will report directly to Pavan. The Windows team will continue to work closely with the Microsoft AI team on AI, silicon, and experiences."

Mikhail Parakhin, who previously led the Windows and web experiences team (WWE) after Panay's exit, has decided to explore new roles within the company. It is likely that Parakhin will be leaving Microsoft, despite his significant contributions to the development of Bing Chat, which has now evolved into co-pilot. In the interim, Parakhin will report directly to Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott.

Davuluri, an IIT Madras graduate, has been with Microsoft for 23 years and previously led the Surface hardware team, working on projects to create custom silicon for Surface devices. He also managed Microsoft's partnerships with Qualcomm and AMD.

The reorganisation also accounts for the new Microsoft AI division, led by Mustafa Suleyman. The Web Experiences team, including the Edge browser, will now report to Suleyman. Jha added, "The Web Experiences team will report to Mustafa in the new Microsoft AI organisation. Jordi Ribas will lead Search, Maps, and Platforms with Andrey Proskurin, Fatima Kardar, and Nick Lee reporting to him."

Davuluri's predecessor, Panos Panay, was one of Microsoft's most prominent employees, having held the role since the days of Steve Ballmer and Steven Sinofsky. Panay recently left Microsoft to join Amazon, where he now leads its devices unit.

Pavan Davuluri joined Microsoft in 2001 after completing his studies at IIT Madras and earning an MSC from the University of Maryland. He is the latest addition to a growing list of Indian-origin Americans holding senior executive positions in the tech sector, holding the designation of corporate vice president Windows + Devices.